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VITA Was Put into Law—But We Still Need $30 Million in Funding for FY2020!

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Thanks to your hard work, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program was put into law this summer. This is quite an achievement for our field and our hats are off to you, our esteemed advocates, for all you did to make this happen.

But our work is not over yet.

VITA needs additional federal funding to pay for the computers, staff, sites, translations and everything else that goes into a successful program. The $18 million we got in FY2019 is not enough—we need to fight for $30 million in funding for VITA in FY2020. As the fiscal year is winding down, we need you to call your Senators and ask them for their support for increased VITA funding.

As you know, VITA supports hard-working Americans, including those with limited means, disabilities and limited English proficiency, by providing assistance to accurately complete their taxes. In 2019, tens of thousands of IRS-certified volunteers working at more than 3,700 VITA sites across the country prepared over 1.5 million tax returns, all while achieving a 98% accuracy rate—the highest in the tax preparation industry. These sites generated over $1.8 billion in refunds to households generally earning less than $54,000 in annual income.

Increasing federal funding to $30 million annually would help VITA programs increase capacity and extend free tax preparation services to hundreds of thousands more low-income households. Due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and continued funding and service constraints at the IRS, VITA plays an ever-growing key role in helping low-income tax filers successfully navigate tax season and access the refunds they depend on to improve their household's financial well-being.